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If you want to maximize the value of your rewards and the credit cards that earn them, you need to learn about other aspects of award travel. Loyalty program rules, stopovers, airline routing rules, discovering the incredible value to be leveraged from credit card benefits, and learning how to use more advanced tools like ITA Matrix and ExpertFlyer all need to be a part of your strategy.

Travel rewards cards provide a host of perks. Everything from concierge services to the extensive insurance benefits and purchase protections, complimentary elite status, and high-value travel credits. Unfortunately, benefits are often buried deep in each card's terms and conditions, written in legalese only a Yale graduate can understand. So many perks remain a mystery to cardholders.

Quick Links to the “Best of” for Each Category

Guides to Benefits for Travel Rewards Credit Cards

Hidden away in the welcome pack of your credit card is typically a link to a Guide to Benefits. Every credit card provider orders and labels the guides differently, but the guides list benefits associated with each card, a brief description of the perk, specifics of what it covers, and information on how to claim the benefit.

The Guides to Benefits' don't typically cover big-ticket perks such as signup bonuses or lounge access. Instead, they include details of the insurance coverage and purchase protections offered by the card, providing details on trip delay and cancellation coverage, lost luggage insurance, and guarantees on items purchased with the card.

There can be distinct differences between benefits offered with similar credit cards. Just because two cards are listed as Visa Platinum, Signature, or Infinite products, doesn’t mean they will provide the same benefits or coverage. It’s important to go over the guide to benefits for your specific credit card and check the conditions and coverage of each benefit.

Final Thoughts

Understanding the Guide to Benefits for your credit card can potentially save you thousands of dollars. The guides detail specifics on how to claim a benefit, what the benefit will cover, in addition to listing exclusions and exceptions, keeping you up to date with the coverage offered with your card.

Have a link to a Guide to Benefits we've missed? Let us know in the comments, and we'll get it added to the list.

For rates and fees of the cards mentioned in this post, please visit the following links: Barclaycard Arrival Plus® World Elite Mastercard® (See Terms)

Master List of Credit Card Benefits Guides

5 (100%) 8 votes

AwardWallet Tip of The Day

Did you know that for each airline within one of the global alliances you can view the balances across all carriers in this alliance? Click the alliance icon in the list of accounts next to any airline in an alliance to see the details. Show me how

I got into an accident with a rental car using Chase Sapphire Reserve – the rental insurance coverage was amazing. They paid the full amt. of damages, and were very easy to work with (I’m sure easier than the rental coverage sold at the counter)

Many are responding to this very positively, and it certainly IS nice to have these LINKS… but am I the only one who was expecting a chart/matrix so each “type” of benefit can be evaluated side-by-side for each card? THAT would be truly helpful. Otherwise, I’m still having to go to each card to create that matrix on my own. That’s more work than I’m willing to do.

If we had a true comparison, THAT would be something amazing. Good project for an intern at AwardWallet, no?

Based on the effusive praise listed here, I fell like I’m missing the main list somehow. Is there a list that shows me which cards have which perks, without going to each cards’ benefits page? Did I miss a link somehow? That would be really useful. 40 links to long lists of technical small print is not useful to me. Sorry if I missed it, but I’d love to see a comprehensive list of the cards that offer each benefit and the “gotchas” for each.

This is a great summary list for NOW. But your will need to redo this again by the end of July and provide new updated links.

By that time a whole list of new changes will have taken effect and will have been published in new benefit guides such as: citi prestige going from 3 hr to 6 hr on bag delay, some chase cards limiting the return protection to 90 days from 120 days, citi rewind being limited in dollar amount, and multiple products limiting car rental maximum coverage amounts and no longer allowing for renal facility loss of use claims if car damaged So, several big changes coming soon.

Do you know off the top of your head whether the City National Bank Crystal Infinite Visa beats any of the cards you have mentioned in any of the categories? I know most don’t have that card so the bloggers don’t talk about it, but I love the card so far.

Yes, there are some places where the CNB Visa card is better (hotel theft protection, identity theft protection) but others such as the Auto CDW/LDW which has country exclusions it isn’t as good. I’d recommend you go through the guide and familiarize yourself with the benefits you have and compare it to the lists we’ve provided.

The link titled “MileagePlus Explorer (Visa Signature) Guide to Benefits” (United) is to the 03/15/2018 version. That has been superseded by a version “Effective 06/01/18,” which I have on paper. I have been unable to find it online despite much effort. Perhaps you can succeed and update the link? Thanks!

Card Benefit Services runs all of these programs. So you will work with one company, and they are difficult to work with. They also send letters stating, “You need to call”. So claims can be time consuming.

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